Kentucky reportedly hiring UTSA OC Justin Burke as tight ends coach

Over a month after his name was first mentioned as a potential addition to Will Stein‘s staff at Kentucky, Justin Burke now has his title.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Burke is set to join the Wildcats as Stein’s new tight ends coach. The Lexington native/former Louisville quarterback spent the last three seasons at UTSA, serving as the program’s offensive coordinator and play caller. In 2025, the Roadrunners finished in the Top 25 in scoring offense (33.8 points per game) and No. 13 in explosive plays of 30-plus yards (33).

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Burke and Stein were college teammates at Louisville before coaching together at UTSA from 2020-22.

Sources: Former UTSA offensive coordinator Justin Burke will be the tight ends coach at Kentucky. He spent the last three years as the UTSA OC and play caller. UTSA finished No. 14 in scoring offense in 2025. pic.twitter.com/U9Na9fNIsq
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 10, 2026

It was back in early December when Dave Campbell’s Texas Football reported that Burke would join Stein in the Bluegrass, but his role on the staff was up in the air until now. During Burke’s time in San Antonio, UTSA enjoyed the most successful five-year run in school history with a 46-20 overall record, 31-8 regular season league mark, two conference championships, five bowl appearances, and back-to-back bowl wins.

Burke was a standout at Lexington Catholic before starting his collegiate career at N.C. State and then transferring to Louisville. He appeared in 13 games for the Cards from 2009-10, throwing for just shy of 1,500 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Burke also spent time in coaching roles at Texas (2014-16) and South Florida (2017-19).